Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday, October 4, to instruct the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare to keep the notification issued by the National Medical Commission (NMC) in abeyance, reported ANI.

In a letter addressed to the Prime Minister, Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin requested immediate suspension of the notification issued by the National Medical Commission (NMC) regarding the opening of new medical colleges.

"It has been notified by the NMC that after the academic year 2023-2024, the Letter of Permission for starting new medical colleges shall be issued only for an annual intake capacity of 50/100/150 seats, provided that the medical college shall follow the ratio of 100 MBBS seats of 10 lakh population in that State/UT. This is a direct encroachment on the rights of all State Governments and penalization of States that have invested more in their public health infrastructure over the years," CM Stalin stated in his letter.

Stalin further stated that progressive states like Tamil Nadu have been strengthening their tertiary healthcare network for many decades. This has led to ample availability of doctors and nurses, which has manifested in their improved performance in terms of various health indicators, the letter mentioned.

"Even when there is adequate availability of doctors at the state level, there are districts where their availability continues to be a persistent issue. This problem can be effectively addressed only by opening new medical colleges in such backward areas. Any restriction on new medical colleges based on state-level criteria will deprive these deserving districts of much-needed tertiary institutions," he added.